When fishing using artificial lures, it is quite common to try numerous different color lures in order to determine which color performs the best on a given day. It is difficult to explain, but for some reason some fish species, particularly walleye and salmon are very color sensitive and colors that may have worked remarkably well a week or even a day earlier may stimulate very little interest while a previously ineffective color may suddenly begin to catch fish. When trolling for example all other conditions are comparable, lure colors can cause a particular lure to have as many as three or four times as many strikes as a lure of an unpopular color. There are many who speculate that color preference is caused by such factors as sun light, water clarity, temperatures, barometer, time of day, etc., however, a great many fisherman use the trial and error technique to determine the most effective color for a particular fishing situation. When a hot color is found, it is not infrequent for that particular color lure to be installed on all of the rods on a boat until the fish stop biting, then the trial and error color selection procedure may once again resume. All of this lure color changing necessitates the frequent changing of lures and inventory of a great number of different color lures. It is not an unusual sight to see boats equipped with ten or twenty lures of a particular type differing only in color. The storage of fishing lures, therefore, becomes a problem since they invariably tangle together. Frequent changing also requires the line to be frequently attached and detached to the various lures. To facilitate frequent attachment and detachment, many fishermen, however, prefer to tie a knot believing that the snap swivel detracts from the lure's aesthetic appearance as well as performance in the water.
In order to simplify lure changing there has been various attempts to develop a workable fishing lure having a detachable body enabling bodies of various colors to be removably attached to a hook carrier assembly. Examples of plug-type lures having removable bodies as shown in U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,750,701, Beames, and 4,402,155, Mumma. There has also been several attempts to develop interchangeable bodies for spoon-type lures as shown in U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,164,415, Mallet, 2,313,572, Nungesser and 4,573,283, Pippert. In addition to plugs and spoons, a great number of lures of various types, plugs, spoons, jigs, and spinner baits have been used having removable skirts such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,804, Brown.